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Workplace Violence

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics homicide is the fourth-leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States.

Workplace Violence Prevention Threat Management And Protection, Inc.® takes workplace violence very seriously. We offer several workplace violence prevention, investigation, and training services to ensure the safety of your employees including:

  • Pre-employment screening
  • Early warning signs/detection
  • Surveillance/counter surveillance
  • Investigations
  • Personal protection services
  • Tactical response
  • Labor dispute security
  • Labor force reduction security

Workplace Violence Prevention Workplace Violence is Preventable
It starts with your hiring process. Can you separate the Jekyll from the Hydes? We can. TMAP has helped its clients prevent workplace violence countless times through its TMAP-BackgroundsTM pre-employment and background investigations division.

TMAP safety instructors can train your employees or security staff the early detection signs of workplace violence and what to do in the event violence strikes at the workplace or while on company business at home or abroad.

Occasionally, events happen in the normal cycle of business where our services are required. For instance, during a hostile termination threats often focus upon senior managers. The corporation has a responsibility to ensure the safety of the staff and their family, while the situation is diffused and the threat eliminated.

In situations such as workplace violence intervention and stalking cases, we respond with a combined investigative and protective solution. Our experience as investigators allows us to support the protective operation with current information about the threat, thus minimizing the risk and avoiding confrontation.

Please see our case studies page for real life examples of how TMAP surveillance and personal protection services have prevented workplace violence before it occurred, ensuring employee safety and maintaining business continuity.

To find out more about how TMAP can keep your employees safe please call us toll free in the U.S. at (888) 926-8110, outside the U.S. at +1 714-352-7190, or send us a message by clicking here


Copyright © 2009-2010 TMAP Threat Management And Protection, Inc.® All rights reserved.

Threat Management And Protection, Inc. is positioned to provide workplace violence crisis response, risk management, armed security, investigation and executive protection to multinational corporations, Fortune 500 companies, the middle market and other organizations and high net worth individuals.

Workplace Violence Prevention and Response

Workplace Violence

What Is Workplace Violence?

Workplace violence can be any act of violence in the workplace including physical violence, threats of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening, disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. Workplace violence can affect or involve employees, visitors, contractors, and other non-Federal employees.

A number of different actions in the work environment can trigger or cause workplace violence. It may even be the result of non-work-related situations such as domestic violence or "road rage." Workplace violence can be inflicted by an abusive employee, a manager, supervisor, co-worker, customer, family member, or even a stranger. Whatever the cause or whoever the perpetrator, workplace violence is not to be accepted or tolerated.

However, there is no sure way to predict human behavior and, while there may be warning signs, there is no specific profile of a potentially dangerous individual. The best prevention comes from identifying any problems early and dealing with them. Each agency should have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in place which serves as an excellent, confidential resource available to all employees to help them identify and deal with problems.

Responsibilities

It is up to each employee to help make a safe workplace for all of us.

Because company programs touch the lives of so many, you can expect at some point in your career to encounter individuals who don’t share the company's core ethic of fairness, dignity, and respect. There are appropriate and effective ways to deal with such persons to avoid or minimize the damage they seek to cause, and we all need to educate ourselves on those methods.

In addition, supervisors and managers have the obligation to deal with inappropriate behavior by their employees and customers, to provide employees with information and training to employees on workplace violence, and to put effective security measures in place.

Responsibilities:

Employees

Be familiar with Department/agency policy regarding workplace violence. Be responsible for securing their own workplace. Be aware of any threats, physical or verbal, and/or any disruptive behavior of any individual and report such to supervisors. Be familiar with local procedures for dealing with workplace threats and emergencies. Do not confront individuals who are a threat. Take all threats seriously.

Managers & Supervisors

Inform employees of Department/agency workplace violence policies and procedures. Ensure that employees know specific procedures for dealing with workplace threats and emergencies, and how to contact police, fire, and other safety and security officials. Ensure that employees with special needs are aware of emergency evacuation procedures and have assistance (as necessary) regarding emergency evacuation situations. Respond to potential threats and escalating situations by utilizing proper resources from the following: local law enforcement and medical services, Federal Protective Service, human resources staff, and the Employee Assistance Program. Take all threats seriously. Check prospective employees’ backgrounds prior to hiring. Coordinate with other co-located agencies to develop joint workplace violence prevention plans.

Agency Heads

Develop a policy statement that indicates the agency will not tolerate violent or disruptive behavior and that all reports of incidents will be taken very seriously and dealt with appropriately. Ensure that the company Handbook on Workplace Violence Prevention and Response as well as appropriate agency materials are available to all employees and that all employees are aware of the procedures and instructions in them.

Include workplace violence training in all employee orientation and supervisory training sessions. Provide for briefings on workplace violence at staff meetings.

Human Resources Staff

Provide for supervisory training which includes basic leadership skills, such as setting clear standards of conduct and performance, addressing employee problems promptly, and using the probationary period, performance counseling, discipline, alternative dispute resolution, and other management tools conscientiously.

Employee Assistance Program Counselors

Provide short-term counseling and referral services to employees at no cost. Help in the prevention of workplace violence through: Early involvement in organizational change. Training employees in dealing with angry co-workers and customers, conflict resolution, and communication skills. Consultation with incident response teams when a potential for violence exists or an actual incident is reported. Participation on critical incident stress debriefings teams in the event of a violence in the workplace.

Unions/Employee Organizations

Be familiar with and actively support policy and contract language on workplace violence prevention. Stay alert to security issues and potential threats. Stay fully abreast of procedures for addressing workplace threats and emergencies. Work closely with all levels of management to ensure that employees are up to date on Department and agency workplace violence prevention policy and procedures. Participate fully with management in all phases of workplace violence prevention and response, including membership on threat assessment and incident response teams.

Security/Facilities Staff

Serve as the liaison with law enforcement as well as the local expert on security matters. Conduct regular threat assessment surveys of the facility to determine the level of security preparedness and any gaps in the security posture. Serve as the facility security expert, keeping management advised of the risk of workplace violence, the security gaps identified by threat assessments, and the means to close these gaps, including the latest technologies. Train facility personnel in security measures and workplace violence prevention techniques. Facilities personnel should participate with security personnel in threat assessment surveys, keeping management informed of the status of the physical plant, and providing budget requests with justification for security upgrades.

Law Enforcement Staff

Identify in advance the types of situations that may occur and when and how law enforcement should be notified of an incident. Provide threat assessment personnel who can assist the agency in determining the best way to protect personnel. Arrange for all-employee briefings or training on specific workplace violence issues.

Conflict Resolution Offices

Provide mediation and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services to assist employees in resolving disputes. Provide training in conflict resolution, communication, and negotiation skills.

Prevention of Workplace Violence

A sound prevention plan is the most important and, in the long run, the least costly portion of any agency’s workplace violence program. Your agency should have the following programs in place to help prevent workplace violence:

Pre-Employment Screening

An agency should determine, with the assistance of its servicing personnel and legal offices, the pre-employment screening techniques which should be utilized, such as interview questions, background and reference checks, and drug testing if it is appropriate for the position under consideration and consistent with Federal laws and regulations.

Security

Maintaining a safe work place is part of any good prevention program. There are a variety of ways to help ensure safety, such as employee photo identification badges, guard services, and individual coded key cards for access to buildings and grounds. Different measures may be appropriate for different locations and work settings.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

This program is most effective in resolving disputes when a conflict has been identified early and one of the following techniques is used: ombudspersons, facilitation, mediation, interest-based problem solving, and peer review.

Threat Assessment Team

This interdisciplinary team will work with management to assess the potential for workplace violence and, as appropriate, develop and execute a plan to address it. Agency Work and Family Life Programs (such as flexiplace, child care, maxiflex, etc.) - An agency should identify and modify, if possible, self-imposed policies and procedures which cause negative effects on the workplace climate.

Awareness/Training One of the most critical components of any agency’s workplace violence prevention program is training. Training is necessary for employees and supervisors, as well as for the staff in offices that may be involved in responding to an incident of workplace violence.

All employees should know how to recognize and report incidents of violent, intimidating, threatening, and disruptive behavior. All employees should have phone numbers for quick reference during a crisis or an emergency.

Threat Assessment

Determining the seriousness of a potentially violent or stressful situation and how to best intervene is the basis of a threat assessment. Since it is impossible to know with any certainty whether a threat is going to be carried out, the agency should always treat threats in a serious manner and act as though the person may carry out the threat.

Your agency handbook on workplace violence will tell you who specifically to contact within your agency when you sense a potentially violent situation. That contact will take whatever action is necessary and appropriate to activate a threat assessment team. The purpose of the threat assessment team is to provide guidance on managing the situation in a way that protects the employees.

Members of a threat assessment team will vary depending on the situation, but may include representatives from:

Threat assessment teams evaluate the risks persons under suspicion may pose to particular targets. The approach and the timing for these evaluations will be specific to the circumstances of the potentially violent situation. Threats from sources outside the agency may require different actions.

Once a threat assessment is completed, management will decide what additional measures are needed to close any security gaps. Where appropriate and not a security breach, management will explain to employees and customers alike what new steps are being taken and why, to alleviate misunderstandings and confusion.

Long-Term Security In addition to dealing with immediate situations, agencies also have a responsibility for continuous threat assessment. In addition, there are ways to create physical barriers between the employee and the hazard, and administrative procedures which can reduce the likelihood for violence. Your agency’s administrative management staff is responsible for putting such measures into place.

In general, employees working alone and away from the office should prepare daily work plans and keep a contact person informed of their locations throughout their tour of duty. When necessary and feasible, management can implement a "buddy system" policy or provide for back-up, such as police assistance, so that workers do not enter a potentially dangerous situation alone.

Identifying Potentially Violent Situations

If you ever have concerns about a situation which may turn violent, alert your supervisor immediately and follow the specific reporting procedures provided by your agency. It is better to err on the side of safety than to risk having a situation escalate.

The following are warning indicators of potential workplace violence:

Intimidating, harassing, bullying, belligerent, or other inappropriate and aggressive behavior. Numerous conflicts with customers, co-workers, or supervisors. Bringing a weapon to the workplace (unless necessary for the job), making inappropriate references to guns, or making idle threats about using a weapon to harm someone. Statements showing fascination with incidents of workplace violence, statements indicating approval of the use of violence to resolve a problem, or statements indicating identification with perpetrators of workplace homicides. Statements indicating desperation (over family, financial, and other personal problems) to the point of contemplating suicide. Direct or veiled threats of harm. Substance abuse. Extreme changes in normal behaviors. Once you have noticed a subordinate, co-worker, or customer showing any signs of the above indicators, you should take the following steps:

If you are a co-worker, you should notify the employee’s supervisor immediately of your observations. If it is a customer, notify your supervisor immediately. If it is your subordinate, then you should evaluate the situation by taking into consideration what may be causing the employees problems. If it is your supervisor, notify that person’s manager. It is very important to respond appropriately, i.e., not to overreact but also not to ignore a situation. Sometimes that may be difficult to determine. Managers should discuss the situation with expert resource staff to get help in determining how best to handle the situation.

Responding to Violent Incidents

No matter how effective agencies' policies and plans are in detecting and preventing incidents, there are no guarantees against workplace violence. Even the most responsive employers face this issue. When a violent incident does occur, it is essential the response be timely, appropriate to the situation, and carried out with the recognition that employees are traumatized and that the incident’s aftermath has just begun.

Emergency Response Team

A traumatic or emergency response team goes into action once a situation of workplace violence has occurred. The team usually consists of many of the same individuals who make up the threat assessment team but their purpose is to deal with the actual workplace violence situation and its aftermath as well as to take steps to prevent similar future occurrences.

Plans and Procedures for Recovering From a Workplace Violence Emergency.

Disclosure of Information

Threat Assessment Team

Information obtained during a threat assessment will be released to individuals needing the information in order to conduct an appropriate investigation into the situation, protect agency personnel, or confront the person making the threat. Typically, this includes security staff, employee relations staff, medical personnel as necessary, and management/supervisory personnel.

Workplace Violence

Workplace Violence

The definition of work related violence that has received pan-European acceptance is as follows: "incidents where people are abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work, involving an explicit or implicit challenge to their safety, well-being or health."

Types of workplace violence

By understanding the cause of the violence we will be better able to eliminate, reduce or manage the risk of it occurring. There are four main types of work related violence:

Criminal violence

Violence perpetrated by individuals who have no relationship with the organization or victim. Normally their aim is to access cash, stock, drugs, or perform some other criminal or unlawful act.

Service user violence

Violence perpetrated by individuals who are recipients of a service provided in the workplace or by the victim. This often arises through frustration with service delivery or some other by-product of the organizations core business activities.

Worker-on-worker violence

Violence perpetrated by individuals working within the organization; colleagues, supervisors, managers etc. This is often linked to protests against enforced redundancies, grudges against specific members of staff, or in response to disciplinary action that the individual perceives as being unjust.

Domestic violence

Violence perpetrated by individuals, outside of the organization, but who have a relationship with an employee e.g. partner, spouses or acquaintances. This is often perpetrated within the work setting, simply because the offender knows where a given individual is during the course of a working day.

Workplace violence and aggression

Workplace Violence

The definition of work related violence that has received pan-European acceptance is as follows: "incidents where people are abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work, involving an explicit or implicit challenge to their safety, well-being or health."

Why do people actually resort to violence?

Violence is an example of what is termed functional behavior. That which can be used by an individual to get what they want, or to provide them with some tangible benefit. They may want faster or better service, they may desire attention or alternatively to be left alone or scare people off. They may wish to acquire cash, drugs or other goods that don't belong to them. They may crave the excitement or notoriety, or it may be the only way they can express themselves or influence others.

Types of workplace violence

By understanding the cause of the violence we will be better able to eliminate, reduce or manage the risk of it occurring. There are four main types of work related violence:

Criminal violence

Violence perpetrated by individuals who have no relationship with the organization or victim. Normally their aim is to access cash, stock, drugs, or perform some other criminal or unlawful act.

Service user violence

Violence perpetrated by individuals who are recipients of a service provided in the workplace or by the victim. This often arises through frustration with service delivery or some other by-product of the organizations core business activities.

Worker-on-worker violence

Violence perpetrated by individuals working within the organization; colleagues, supervisors, managers etc. This is often linked to protests against enforced redundancies, grudges against specific members of staff, or in response to disciplinary action that the individual perceives as being unjust.

Domestic violence

Violence perpetrated by individuals, outside of the organization, but who have a relationship with an employee e.g. partner, spouses or acquaintances. This is often perpetrated within the work setting, simply because the offender knows where a given individual is during the course of a working day.

Executive Protection

TMAP provides executive protection training for executive protection jobs helping to mitigate violence in the workplace.

TMAP also provides executive protection service for companies that are experiencing elevated threat levels due to plant closures or lay-offs.

The executive protection page is about violence against executives and include bodyguard, body guard training, executive protection services. Bodyguard tactics, bodyguard techniques, executive protection tactics and executive protection techniques, are all used as for VIP protection, dignitary protection, personal security, and protective services.

Violence in the workplace

Workplace Violence-- it happens, and when it does, it's frightening.

Violence in the workplace. Every few days, there is another story on the news. One day, it may be a convenience store shooting; the next, a sexual assault in a company parking lot; a few days later, it’s a disgruntled employee holding workers hostage, or a student attacking a teacher.

Not surprisingly, the incidents of workplace violence that make the news are only the tip of the iceberg. What its victims all have in common is that they were at work, going about the business of earning a living, but something about their workplace environment-often something foreseeable and preventable-exposed them to attack by a customer, a co-worker, an acquaintance, or even a complete stranger.

Some 2 million American workers are victims of workplace violence each year. It is estimated that costs of workplace violence to employers is in the billions of dollars. Unfortunately, research into the prevention of violence in the workplace is still in its infancy.

More information on workplace violence can be found at http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/iprc/resources/workplace-violence-report.pdf

Pre-employment Screening

Pre-employment screening refers to the process of investigating the backgrounds of potential employees and is commonly used to verify the accuracy of an applicant's claims as well as to discover any possible criminal history, workers compensation claims, or employer sanctions.

TMAP services include pre-employment screening, crisis management, business continuity services, incident response, personal protection, armed and unarmed security agents and training.

TMAP also provides executive protection, threat assessment, security risk analysis, information security, workplace violence prevention, security management, security training, litigation support, personnel investigations and crisis response security personnel.

The Threat Management and Protection professionals provide dispute resolution support, business continuity services, crisis management, and incident response. TMAP bodyguard, executive protection agents, armed security and unarmed g, uniformed guards are all highly trained.

TMAP-Backgrounds provides pre-employment screening, screening of job candidates, and background investigations in order to reduce the risk of workplace violence. http://TMAP-Backgrounds.com/